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Joe Theismann made some comments on the Redskins’ quarterback situation during the TV broadcast of the Redskins-Ravens preseason game last night. In case you didn’t catch them, here is the key part.

“It's going to be a decision that Jay Gruden is going to have to make," Theismann said. "Right now, Robert Griffin III is his quarterback. Now, if there was a quarterback competition, it wouldn't be a competition. Kirk Cousins would be the man I believe he would have to go to, because of the efficiency with which he has run (the offense).”

Well, maybe Joe, but here’s the thing. There wasn’t a quarterback competition. If there had been a quarterback competition then Cousins would have been in the game last night with some reps against Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, Chri Canty, and other front-line Ravens defenders. As it was, those starters and the Ravens' other front-line players were in there and made life difficult for Griffin. They were gone when Cousins came into the game early in the third quarter.

And Griffin would have had his shots against the likes of Pernell McPhee, DeAngelo Tyson, and Kapron Lewis-Moore.

Had there been a competition then Cousins would have taken first-team reps in training camp against Ryan Kerrigan, Brian Orakpo, DeAngelo Hall, and the rest of the defensive starters. He didn’t. And when the Patriots were in town, Cousins would have gone up against Darrell Revis, Brandon Browner, and Vince Wilfork. And Griffin would have had snaps against the Patriots backups.

Now let’s look at the other side the coin. Had there been a QB competition then Cousins would have played last night with Trent Williams at left tackle and he would have been throwing to Jordan Reed, Pierre Garçon, and DeSean Jackson last night. Griffin would have had some snaps with Tom Compton at left tackle and with Ryan Grant, Logan Paulsen, and Santana Moss as his primary pass targets.

We can debate all day who might have looked better surrounded by that talent and with those defensive matchup. However, the debate would be pointless. We have no way of knowing.

It makes no sense for Theismann to say that Kirk Cousins “won” the quarterback “competition” because there wasn’t one. It also would be illogical to say that Griffin would have “won”. We have no idea how it would have played out if Jay Gruden had conducted a competition. It’s just hypothetical.

The reality here and now is that it’s too late to have a QB competition even if Gruden was inclined to have one (and he’s not). How about if we deal with actual events instead of creating a phony QB controversy?

At this stage of his career, Jackson is a well-known deep threat. While much of the 2016 season has been disappointing for Jackson, in back-to-back weeks, the vertical passing attack has worked. In Arizona last Sunday, Jackson only caught one pass, but it went for 59 yards. On Thanksgiving in Dallas, Jackson hauled in a 67-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins as part of his season-high 118 receiving yards.

"What he brings to this football team, he brings something that not a lot of people can bring, and that’s obviously the speed and the big play ability," 'Skins head coach Jay Gruden said of Jackson.

The last two games moved Jackson's yards-per-catch average back in normal range with the rest of his career at 16.5. Halfway through this season, Jackson was averaging below 14 YPC, which would have been by far the worst of his career.

"A lot of people think that we haven’t utilized his speed quite like we should, but I think he has had a major impact on this football team," Gruden said. "His deep threat has an impact on the defense. It opens up areas for Jordan Reed and Jamison Crowder and the backs sometimes. He’s been a major influence for this football team in a good way."

Beyond just the big plays, the Eagles defense has given up 645 passing yards in their last two games. Cousins has historically played well in Philadelphia, and should be in good position to do the same this weekend.

And based on the Eagles' past six games, expect Jackson to have another big game at Lincoln Financial Field.